Horse-detacher.



PATENTED OCT. 9, 1906.

v P. LEE, HORSE DETAGHER. APPLIOATIOHEILBD PERE?. 1906.

[NVE/Wok fifa/7i' Zee UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK LEE, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR'OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM GREEN, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1906.

Application filed February 27, 1906. Serial No. $08,194:.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK LEE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Jackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Horse-Detachers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to trace-fastenings and horsedetachers for vehicles, and particularly two-horse vehicles, the object of the invention being to provide simple, convenient, inexpensive, andreliable means for detachably connecting the traces of the harness to the whiifletrees in such a manner as to enable the driver or an occupant of the vehicle to release the draft-animals in the event of a runaway, whereby accidents and loss of life from the bolting of fractious animals may be prevented. f

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of avehicle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bitching andreleasing devices upon one of' the ends of awhiffletree, showing a trace connected therewith. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the parts shown in Fig. 2 with the swinging keeper swung outward for the application of the trace to the latch-bolt.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the tongue, 2 the doubletree, and 3 the whiffletree, of a vehicle, which parts may be connected and supported in any of the ordinary ways.

The trace-fastenin devices mounted upon the end of the whi etree are alike in construction, each comprising a pair of straps bent to form fixed and swinging keepers4 and 5, each of said keepers being provided at its outer or forward end with a guide or keeper-loop 6. The keeper 4 embraces the whifiietree and is secured thereto by a bolt 7 or other suitable fastening means, while the keeper 5 has a bifurcated or forked portion embracing the whiffletree and secured thereto by a pivot-bolt 8, upon which said keeper 5 may swing toward and from the keeper 4. A spring-latch 9, consisting of a strip of spring metal, is fastened at one end to the keeper 4 and is formed at its opposite end with a locking-shoulder 10 and an upwardlybeveled or inclined lip 11 to coperate with the keeper 5. This latch is adapted to engage the keeper 5 and hold the two keepers normally in spaced parallel relation, as

shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Upon pressing upward the lip 11 of the latch the keeper 5 may be swung outward, as shown in Fig. 3, to admit a ring or connecting member 12 upon the trace 13 for connection with the sliding latchbolt 14, and u on swinging the keeper 5 inward the shou dered end of the latch will be raised by engagement of said keeper with the lip 11 and wi l then snap into engagement with the outer edge of the keeper when the latter reaches its normal position. It will thus be seen that the traces may be easily and conveniently connected with and disconnected from the whiffletrees in normal service.

Each latch-bolt 14 is slidably mounted in the loops 6 of the cooperating keepers 4 and 5, and the bolts upon each whi etree are connected by a longitudinally-sliding rod 15, arranged to slide in guide-staples 15 upon 4the whifiietree, the bolts being preferably formed integral with the rod by bending the ends thereof in the manner shown.

The rods are adapted to be operated by levers 16, pivotally mounted upon thewhiffletree or connections between the same and the doubletree, which levers extend rearwardly over the ends of the doubletree. The levers 16 are connected for movement in unison by link rods 17, operatively connected with one arm of a bell-crank lever 18, pivotally mounted u on the doubletree, the other arm of said bel -crank lever being attached, by a chain or like connection 19, with the lower end of a vertical main operating-lever 20, fulcrumed to brackets or supports 21 upon ythe front of the vehicle-body and provided at its upper end with a foot-piece 22. rIhe parts are so arranged that outward and downward pressure upon thefoot-piece 22 will transmit motion, through the connections described, to the levers 16 and rods 15 in the direction of the arrows shown on the drawings to slide said rods 15 in the proper direction to release the bolts 14 from engagement with the rings 12, thus detaching the traces from the vehicle. A spring 23 is connected with the doubletree and one of the levers 16 to normally hold the operating devices and bolts in their projected positions.

It will be apparent that in the event of a runaway the driver or an occupant of the vehicle by operating the lever 20 may retract the bolts to disengage the traces, thus releas- IOO move in unison, levers operatively connected ing the runaway animals from the vehicle, allowing the latter to come to a stop without injury to the occupants thereof, and it will also be apparent that the invention may be applied to two-horse vehicles of a type' in common use without varying the description of such vehicle. l

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new isl. In a horse-detacher, the combination with the tongue, doubletree and whiffletrees of a vehicle, of trace-fasteners upon each whiffletree including sliding bolts adapted to with the sets of bolts, a bell-crank lever upon the doubletree, links connecting one of the arms of said lever with the bolt-sliding levers, means for holding the parts normally projected, and an operating-lever mounted upon the vehicle-body and connected with the other arm of the bell-crank lever.

2. In a horse-detacher, the combination with the tongue, doubletree and whiflietrees of a vehicle, of keepers upon the wliii'Hetrees, sliding latch-bolts cooperating with the keepers, each bolt comprising a rod having bent ends for coupling engagement with the traces, levers for operating said bolts, a bell-crank lever upon the doubletree, links connecting one of the arms of said lever with the boltsliding levers, means for holding the parts normally projected, and an operating-lever mounted upon the vehicle-body and connected with the other arm of the bell-crank lever.

3. In a horse-detacher, the combination Tfith the tongue, doubletree and whifletrees of a vehicle, of sets of keepers upon the whifletrees, each comprising a stationary and a swinging keeper member, a spring-latch carried by each stationary keeper member to engage and hold the swinging keeper member in closed position, trace-fasteners upon each whiiiietree comprising sliding bolts movable in unison and cooperating with said keepers, levers operatively connected with said bolts, a bell-crank lever upon the doubletree, links connecting one of the arms of said lever with the bolt-sliding levers, means for holding the parts normally projected, and an operatinglever mounted upon the vehicle-body and connected with the other arm of the bellcrank lever.

j FRANK LEE. 

